Zen Room How To

Up until a few years ago, I strongly disliked decorating.  And here's why...

First, of all I am the daughter of one of those "super-human-get-everything-done-and-the-house-is-perfectly-clean-and-decorated" moms.  During Sunday dinner my mom goes all out with a tablecloth masterpiece tier; complete with a centerpiece, matching serving dishes, and color coordinated napkins.  So this is the expectation I learned to set in my home.

Then there is this other side of me that hates doing things that everyone else is doing.  If it's trendy and popular... you better bet that you will not see me doing it (strange I know - I have this thing about being original and different but I will save that story for another blog post) So I really struggled finding ideas in all the popular magazines.

With that combination, I was always afraid to do it "wrong" or it wouldn't look perfect and I didn't know what else to do because all the advice given was how to do it in a way I didn't like.

Exhausting, I know.   

I genuinely tried for many years and it was such an annoyance until I started to learn about energy.
Energy, you ask?
Why yes, studying energy taught me to love decorating my home.

It started with a few books on Feng Shui, then from a meditation mentor who taught me about my responsibility for the energy in my environment, and then I studied the science of energy and light.

I have come up with a few tips to help you decorate in a way that will make your soul sing and change the way your home feels:

1- Tap into WHO You Are.
Choose things in your home that represent you and your family.  Make your home an extension of yourself.  Don't be afraid to let it (aka YOU) all out! What is your style from the inside out?

2- Surround Yourself with Items that Make Your Soul Happy.
Don't think about what is "cool" or the popular thing to do.  How does it make you FEEL?   What colors, designs, and items make you happy?  Is there anything that is symbolic in your life that reminds you of things you love?  Some of my decorations make me laugh... because I have included plastic fake flowers that my children have given me on Mother's Day, or a rock my kids found and gave to me on a hike, etc. But they are things I love because they remind me of people and memories I love, too.

3. Get Rid of EVERYTHING That Has a Negative Energy. 
Yes, I mean everything.  Even if it's a family heirloom, a gift, something you like, etc.  If it feels yucky, or has a negative emotion/energy, or bad memory attached, then you do not want it in your space.  It will affect you, even subconsciously.   You can try to send love and prayers to the item and try to heal whatever negativity is there, but if your feelings about it do not change, then please remove it from your environment.

5. Add Living Energy as Much as Possible.
Since everything is energy you will want to decorate with items that have as much "life" to the energy as possible.  Some examples would be a lot of plants (alive is better than fake - but I tend to kill plants so I do have a lot of fake), hand made vs factory, hand painted vs printed, words, energy, water, nature, rocks, or anything from the earth has more alive energy.

I love everything in this room.  I've nicknamed it my "Zen room" because of the feeling it has.  Everything in the room I love and has a very positive feel to it.  

The Egyptian painting is hand-painted on papyrus,  I have 2 living plants and one fake in the middle.  The black thing on the right is a waterfall if I'm in the mood to hear running water, there is a hand carved Mayan calendar on the fireplace. 

That bowl is full of my favorite rocks, the birdhouse my son made, the owl was my grandmother's, the word's are meaningful to me (on the signage).  

4. Decorate and Align Your Furniture in a Way that Allows Energy to Flow.
Turn things at an angle, add plants to corners of the room, choose oval or rounded edges if needed, etc. Imagine the energy traveling through your space, are there any areas where the energy would get stuck or feel stagnant?  Another important element to this, is to remove clutter or anything that will attract stressed and chaotic energy AND simplify and minimize the number of items you keep in a specific space.

Notice how the chair is turned sideways with a plant in the corner.  The energy moves along the angle of the furniture. 

6.  Add Light (preferably natural) as Much as Possible.
Light helps with mental clarity, relieves depression, makes you feel happier, and makes the space feel cleaner and brighter.

This corner was so dark and dreary so I added a lamp.  Also a plant at the bottom helps keep the energy moving and not getting "stuck" in the corner

I'm amazed at how many people compliment areas I've decorated using these principles.  Even though my decorations themselves are not the nicest, I believe people can feel the energy of the space as much as I can.  I have turned many areas in my home into an environment I love!!  The other areas... I'm working on them (although some are due to design issues in the home but I will have to address those the next time I move - haha!) 

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT ENERGY:
- Everything is made up of energy.  Our bodies, furniture, plants, decorations, light, etc.
- Energy can leave imprints.  Positive or negative energy can leave an impression on items and your environment.
- Our thoughts and feelings are a form of energy.  They can be sent through waves that travel through our energetic and magnetic fields.  So we have some control over the energy we bring into a space.
- Energy/Light can travel through waves or particles.
- Sunlight and light have scientifically proven benefits for us both physically and emotionally.

I hope these tips help you like they've helped me... and if they do - PLEASE let us know and leave a comment below. :)

~ Martina ~